Your daily resource for creating intentional change in your life

Adventure

06/29/2010

One of the wonderful things about travel is that it can really push your boundaries. In Oaxaca I've had the chance to face one of my fears which is of being underground. I'm a bit of a claustrophobe, and additionally I'm made terribly nervous by the idea of tons of rock over my head. (I suppose it's only natural, really!)

However, I haven't been about to let a little fear stop me from trying new things, so I have been jumping into tombs left and right! I went into two shallow ones in Zaachila, and two fairly extensive ones in Mitla.

I won't lie; crawling through damp rock tunnels and breathing stuffy hot air was still unpleasant. I don't think I'll take up spelunking any time soon! However, my desire to see the beautiful wall carvings in the tombs was a good incentive to go underground when otherwise I would have completely avoided doing so. Thanks to traveling in Oaxaca I've been able to face a long-time fear. What a wonderful way to mix it up!

If you want to participate in community of radical inclusion, self-reliance, and self-expression, it seems like this is the place for you. I hope it is the place for me! I'm going as a personal experiment in extreme camping and community participation. I'm going to clarify my vision, to dance until I fall down, and to see if I can take pictures in a dust storm. I'm going because it will be an adventure!

04/03/2010

Yesterday's post about money got me thinking about frugal living and the concept of minimalism. Minimalism is a scary concept to many people; conjuring visions of living in a very constrained fashion. However, instead of thinking of minimalism as privation, what if we considered it to be freedom?

Some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about minimalism and living the minimalist life, for those new to the concept, from Leo Babauta's excellent blog mnmlist (reprinted with permission!):

Q: Why be a minimalist?

A: It’s a way to escape the excesses of the world around us — the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter, having too much to do, too much debt, too many distractions, too much noise. But too little meaning. Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what’s truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value.

Q: Isn’t minimalism boring or too sparse, with nothing in your life?

A: This is a misconception about minimalism — that it’s necessarily monk-like, empty, boring, sterile. Not at all. Well, it can be, if you go in that direction, but I don’t advocate that flavor of minimalism. Instead, we are clearing away all but the most essential things — to make room for that which gives us the most joy. Clear away the distractions so we can create something incredible. Clear away all the obligations so we can spend time with loved ones. Clear away the noise so we can concentrate on inner peace, on spirituality (if we wish), on our thinking. As a result, there is more happiness, peace, and joy, because we’ve made room for these things.

Q: What is minimalist living?

A: It’s simply getting rid of things you do not use or need, leaving an uncluttered, simple environment and an uncluttered, simple life. It’s living without an obsession with material things or an obsession with doing everything and doing too much. It’s using simple tools, having a simple wardrobe, carrying little and living lightly.

Q: What are the benefits of minimalism?

A: There are many. It’s lower in stress. It’s less expensive and less debt. It’s less cleaning and maintaining. It’s more enjoyable. There’s more room for creating, for loved ones, for peace, for doing the things that give you joy. There’s more time for getting healthy. It’s more sustainable. It’s easier to organize. These are only the start.

Interested in pursuing minimalism? Leo's blog is a great place to start. If you're interested in a challenge, try his 100 Things Challenge (now become the 50 Things Challenge) to list all of your belongings, and then reduce them to only 100 (or 50!) things. I personally find it easy to get rid of tchotchkes, clothes, and furniture. I find it exceptionally difficult to stop hoarding books, though…

If you're looking for an adventure that will definitely change your life, mix it up, and try minimalism!

(I am a huge fan of Leo's work, but am not affiliated with his sites or publishers!)

03/19/2010

An adventure, to me, is something so far outside of your usual milieu that it's not only alluring but also just a tiny bit scary. "How will I accomplish that?" is a usual question that orbits any adventure. Some adventures involve giraffes and endless savannas, but some you can do right here at home -- which is the best place to start!

Every year, The Office of Letters and Light, a nonprofit literacy program, sponsors two big at-home adventures. One, National Novel Writing Month, challenges you to write a 50,000 word novel each November. (Check back with me in November as I frantically pen another piece of deathless prose!) The other, Script Frenzy, challenges you to write 100 pages of original scripted material in the month of April.

It's no secret that I love to write, but there is something magical about challenging yourself to do so on a deadline. Everything else falls away. Sometimes the dishes don't get done, but you look up from your pad of paper/typewriter/thought transcriber and you have created something. Something that no one else has ever done before. It's alluring, and yes, a little scary! And if you've never done it before there is nothing I recommend more. Writing gives you a chance to share your true inner voice -- and you're the most important person to hear that voice.

I'm sure, if you're anything like me, you've thought at one point "I could write a better movie/TV episode/etc than that." Now is your chance to prove yourself right! You have just under two weeks still to decide your plot, do some basic planning, and sign up for what could be the most amazing adventure of your life: writing.

Interested? Head to Script Frenzy now and sign up. Share your voice with the whole world, or just yourself, but either way: Mix It Up!